Thunder zap Nets on Friday, fall to Wizards on Saturday

Sunday

Feb 2, 2014 at 11:32 AM

WASHINGTON, D.C. — John Wall supplied 17 points, 15 assists and six steals, as the Washington Wizards halted the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 10-game win streak with a 96-81 triumph on Saturday at Verizon Center.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — John Wall supplied 17 points, 15 assists and six steals, as the Washington Wizards halted the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 10-game win streak with a 96-81 triumph on Saturday at Verizon Center.

Trevor Ariza registered a team-high 18 points, Nene followed with 17, and Marcin Gortat tallied 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Wizards, who have won three of their last five games.

Kevin Durant was held under 30 points for the second straight game, finishing with 26 points, seven assists and five boards for the Thunder, who were held under 100 points for the first time since Jan. 14, the same day of their last loss, a 90-87 setback at Memphis.

A Derek Fisher 3-pointer found OKC within 58-57 with 4:21 left in the third, but the Wizards closed the quarter on a 20-7 burst to seize control of the contest.

Gortat and Ariza each scored six in the surge, which Wall capped with a buzzer-beating bucket that sent Washington into the final frame with a comfortable 78-64 cushion.

The Wizards cruised in the fourth, never allowing the visitors to get closer than 12 over the final 12 minutes.

Washington stifled Oklahoma City’s vaunted offense in the first quarter, holding the Thunder to 27 percent shooting (6-of-22) from the floor and forcing 10 OKC turnovers to build a 25-13 lead after one.

The margin remained double-digits for much of the second until Nick Collison’s driving layup sparked a 14-0 Thunder spurt that Durant capped with a one- handed slam to bring the visitors within 35-34 with 2:32 left in the half.

However, Washington responded with a swift 7-2 swing before Durant’s jumper trimmed OKC’s deficit to 42-38 heading into halftime.

Wall’s pullup jumper just over three minutes into the third pushed Washington’s lead to nine, but Thabo Sefolosha scored all eight of his points in a 10-2 push that brought the Thunder within 55-54 just prior to the midpoint of the third quarter.

Notes: Durant had scored 30-plus points in 12 straight games before being held to 26 points in Friday’s 120-95 win at Brooklyn … OKC shot 39.7 percent (31-of-78) from the field, including 16.7 percent (4-of-24) from 3-point range … Washington scored 23 points off 21 OKC turnovers … Washington recorded 28 assists, compared to 19 from OKC … The Thunder’s 13 points in the first quarter were their fewest in an opening quarter since Feb. 15, 2012 versus the Rockets (13).

Pacers 97, Nets 96

INDIANAPOLIS — The Pacers boosted their bench on Saturday afternoon and bounced back from a rare home loss later that night.

Hours after his club officially signed center Andrew Bynum for the rest of the season, the Pacers’ incumbent big man, Roy Hibbert, and fellow All-Star Paul George scored 20 points apiece to send Indiana past the Brooklyn Nets, 97-96.

The Pacers suffered their second home loss of the season on Thursday, falling to the Suns 102-94, but recovered two days later and never trailed in the second half Saturday in sending the Nets to a third straight loss.

Friday reports

Oklahoma City 120, Brooklyn 95

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Kevin Durant’s streak of 30-plus points finally came to an end at 12 games, but Durant, Serge Ibaka and the Oklahoma City Thunder still left Barclays Center with a 120-95 rout of the Brooklyn Nets on Friday. Durant scored 22 points on 8-of-9 shooting in the first half but put up just three shots the rest of the way, sitting the entire fourth quarter with the game well in hand. He finished with 26 points and seven assists, completing January as the first player since Michael Jordan in March, 1987, to record at least 550 points and 90 assists in a month. Ibaka meanwhile shot 12-of-12 from the floor for 25 points, falling just two shots shy of Gary Payton’s Thunder/SuperSonics franchise record of 14 shots without a miss on Jan. 5, 2005. Reggie Jackson and Thabo Sefolosha added 14 points apiece in Oklahoma City’s 10th straight triumph. Shaun Livingston had 16 points to pace Brooklyn, while Deron Williams netted 14 off the bench.

Dallas 107, Sacramento 103

DALLAS — Dirk Nowitzki poured in 34 points to help the Dallas Mavericks take a 107-103 win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday. Monta Ellis added 20 points, Jose Calderon had 14 points and seven assists and Brandan Wright finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks, who had dropped three of four entering the contest. Rudy Gay scored a game-high 35 points on 10-of-16 shooting, while also pulling down 12 rebounds and handing out six assists and Isaiah Thomas added 19 points and six assists for the Kings, losers in six straight.

Toronto 100, Denver 90

DENVER — DeMar DeRozan, fresh off receiving the news that he had been voted to his first All-Star Game, scored 19 points to lead the Toronto Raptors to a 100-90 decision over the Denver Nuggets. Terrence Ross added 18 points in Toronto’s third straight victory. Jonas Valanciunas and Kyle Lowry donated 13 points apiece, and John Salmons had 11 points with nine assists in a reserve role.

Denver, playing without point guards Ty Lawson and Nate Robinson, got an unexpected boost from shooting guard Randy Foye, who handed out a career-high 16 assists in the setback. Lawson (shoulder) missed his second straight tilt, while Robinson underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL and will miss the remainder of the season. J.J. Hickson and Evan Fournier each dropped 18 points, with Hickson also grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds as the Nuggets lost for the fifth time in seven tries.

Orlando 113, Milwaukee 102

ORLANDO, Fla. — Arron Afflalo scored 21 points to lead the Orlando Magic to a 113-102 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday. Tobias Harris contributed 18 in a reserve role and Victor Oladipo scored 15 points with seven assists in the win. E’Twaun Moore and Maurice Harkless added 13 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench in Orlando’s 16th consecutive home victory over the Bucks. Caron Butler scored 20 points to lead Milwaukee, which dropped its fifth straight game overall and eighth straight on the road.

The last time Milwaukee left Orlando with a victory was a 111-105 decision on Dec. 29, 2004.

Atlanta 125, Philadelphia 99

PHILADELPHIA — Mike Scott and Elton Brand each scored 18 points off the bench as the Atlanta Hawks easily handled the Philadelphia 76ers, 125-99, at Wells Fargo Center. DeMarre Carroll led the Atlanta starters with 13 points to go along with nine rebounds. Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague added 12 points apiece, with the latter adding eight assists in the win. Thaddeus Young’s 29-point effort went for naught as the Sixers lost for the fifth straight time at home. Michael Carter-Williams added 17 points and Elliot Williams scored a season-high 15 off the bench in defeat.

Charlotte 110, LA Lakers 100

LOS ANGELES — Al Jefferson eclipsed the 30-point mark for the third straight game and matched a career-high with 40 points in the Charlotte Bobcats’ 110-100 triumph over the Los Angeles Lakers from Staples Center. Jefferson also grabbed 18 boards and handed out four assists in Charlotte’s second straight win. The Bobcats improved to 2-0 on their current four-game road trip. Gerald Henderson dropped 20 points while Ramon Sessions handed out 13 assists in the victory. Pau Gasol had 24 and nine boards in the Lakers’ sixth straight setback. Nick Young and Jodie Meeks shot just 13-for-37 together for 21 and 19 points, respectively, and Kendall Marshall had 10 points and 12 helpers.

Golden State 95, Utah 90

SALT LAKE CITY — Stephen Curry poured in a game-high 44 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 95-90 win over the Utah Jazz on Friday. Curry was 14-for-26 from the field, including 8-of-13 from 3- point range, en route to his second 40-point game of the season. Andrew Bogut stuffed the stat sheet 16 points, 17 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals for the Warriors, winners in three of four. Klay Thompson was a miserable 3-for-20 from the floor, but still managed to score 11 points. Alec Burks scored a team-high 26 points while Enes Kanter and Diante Garrett finished with 15 and 13 points, respectively, for the Jazz, who had won two straight entering the contest.

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